For those who love a challenge.

The Raw 30 Challenge

The Challenge: Eat only raw food for 30 days

The Rules: Any food category is fair game so long as it’s raw. As in, this isn’t a raw vegan sort of thing. Dehydrating is permitted.

The Iffy Stuff: White wine (it’s not fermented), olive oil (it’s cold pressed), and gravlax (brined fish) are items that seem raw, but I do have some doubts. There are cases made for them being both raw and not raw; however, I am going to include them in my feasting.

The Exceptions: Tea… and beer. Herbal tea may be made with boiled water and beer may be drank despite it’s non-raw nature.

The Background: After taking on The Vegan 3, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could push the concept even further. There was something about eating cheese that wasn’t cheese and meat that wasn’t meat that just didn’t fit quite right. I began to feel – in a lot of cases, but not all – that the vegan substitutes were probably more unhealthy than the real-deal items they were replacing. At this point, it dawned on me: raw food. Whole, untouched edibles straight from ground to mouth… sort of. I decided it had to be done or at least attempted.

The Journey: It pushed my boundaries farther than any other food challenge yet. I discovered a love for frozen bananas as well as for sun-dried tomatoes. I also began to appreciate my food a lot more. There was something incredible about taking ownership of my entire meal – no pre-made sauces or ready-to-go meals. I spent a lot of time feeling hungry and though I would feel “full” it was a different type of full. It was light and short-lasting. This, however, also lent to an overall light feeling which felt great. I did, on perhaps 2 occasions, feel like I might be starving, but all it took was learning how to properly eat as a raw foodie. I had lots of cravings, but was able to put them out of mind without feeling hard done by. The best part of the journey was how incredible I felt. Yes, it was hard. But it was also extremely rewarding. I felt better, stronger, more confident, and had more energy.